Sunday, May 19, 2013
The overwhelming reaction to the BOE's vote approving a 'conceptual' contract with the developer of the United Water property dominated the conversation in town this week.
Jaws dropped and tensions mounted during Tuesday's Zoning Board meeting at the revelation that the New Milford Board of Education (BOE) had entered into a separate agreement with the developer of the United Water property to receive a parcel of land to build a 'field of dreams.' Depsite the loud response that accompanied the revelation that the New Milford Board of Education (BOE) had entered into a separate agreement with the developer of the United Water property to receive a three-acre parcel of land to build a 'field of dreams,' the Board of Ed stands by their decision. Defending the BOE's decision, Superintendent Michael Polizzi said, "Creating 21st Century learning environments extend past the walls of the classrooms." It took four …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The revelation that the Board of Education entered into a conceptual agreement with Hekemian for a 'field of dreams' has raised the temperature on the United Water property conversation.
The aftershocks of the revelation that the New Milford Board of Education (BOE) had entered into a separate agreement with the developer of the United Water property to receive a three-acre parcel of land to build a 'field of dreams' have rippled throughout community since Tuesday's meeting of the Zoning Board. Board of Education president, Darren Drake, said that the Board's approval of entering into a 'conceptual contract' with Hekemian for three-acres of property to construct a field of dreams-like "state of the art" athletic field is in line with the Board's vision of moving the district forward, athletically as well as academically. "As a Board, we are charged not only with the academic component of a superior education, but also the …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Bill would create joint commission to prevent flooding hazards in Bergen & Rockland counties if Cuomo signs on.
Assemblywomen Connie Wagner and Valerie Vainieri Huttle joined with New York state legislators Wednesday to urge New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill to help stem the tide of reoccurring flooding in communities in Bergen and Rockland counties. Those who spoke at the press conference with Lake Tappan as a backdrop stressed the need for a commission that would bring representatives of both states to work together in a collaborative and coordinated effort on flood mitigation and water supply plans. New Jersey already enacted a companion law (A-2440) in 2011 sponsored by Wagner and Vainieri Huttle. In order to create the bi-state commission both states must enact similar legislation. The fate now rests in Cuomo’s hands with New York…
"Conceptual contract" includes Hekemian donation of 3 acres of property and a 'sizable' donation for BOE to construct an athletic stadium.
Jaws dropped and tensions mounted during Tuesday's Zoning Board meeting at the revelation that the New Milford Board of Education (BOE) had entered into a separate agreement with the developer of the United Water property to receive a parcel of land to build a 'field of dreams.' Attorney for the applicant, Antimo "Andy" DelVecchio, informed the Zoning Board that Hekemian had entered into a "conceptual contract" with the New Milford BOE to donate "in excess" of three acres of property to construct a field of dreams-like "state of the art" athletic field and stadium on a parcel of property that is not subject to flooding. DelVecchio stressed that the developer is not building the athletic stadium, they are only donating the land and a "…
New Jersey's only female governor spoke at the Bergen County Women's Republican Club's 90th anniversary celebration.
Former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman urged attendees at the Bergen County Women's Republican Club's 90th anniversary celebration Wednesday to vote for minorities, women and Gov. Chris Christie. "We need people with different life experiences, with different ways of thinking, to be at that [decision-making] table," Whitman said during her keynote address at Seasons in Washington Township. Whitman, New Jersey's first and only female governor, said she supported more women and citizens from minority groups running for office and also voiced support for Governor Christie in his run for re-election against Democrat Sen. Barbara Buono. Whitman pointed to Christie’s willingness to work across party lines. "We really can set the pace for the nation…
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan says sheriff's officers "jeopardized" public safety by not following protocol on handling "live explosives" at the Bergen County gun buyback in April.
The ongoing feud between Sheriff Michael Saudino and County Executive Kathleen Donovan intensified again this weekend, with Donovan calling for the attorney general to investigate claims the sheriff's department jeopardized the public's safety in handling "live mortar rounds". In a statement released to the press on Saturday, Donovan said the sheriff's department failed to turn live mortar rounds to Bergen County Bomb Squad members during the April 13-14 county gun buyback, as is protocol. "We applaud the Sheriff for a successful and worthwhile program, but we are concerned about the inappropriate and potentially dangerous way live mortar rounds were dealt with," Donovan said. "My concern is that the safety of the citizens of Bergen County…
Friday, May 10, 2013
New Milford homeowners will see a total average annual increase of approximately $217 with the municipal and school budgets adopted, and the county budget introduced,
Each year school districts, municipal governing bodies, and county governing bodies submit their adopted budgets to the County Tax Boards outlining their budgetary requirements. The various levies are totaled to represent the “amount to be raised by taxation” for each taxing jurisdiction. The 2013 Municipal Budget of $19.3 million with its tax levy of $15,784,067 shows a tax increase of $47 per year for a house assessed at the new average assessment of $321,339. In order to meet the costs of the special and unanticipated capital projects included in the 2013 capital portion of the budget, the borough will need to exceed the 2 percent cap in order to fund the projects. Local governments can circumvent the 2.5 percent cap on municipal budget…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Pending litigation over the proposed 600,000 square foot retail development will not settle, report says. The lawsuits now await a judge’s decision.
Editor's note: Since Crossroads has been brought up during certain points of the New Milford Zoning Board hearings regarding the proposed development of the United Water property by Hekemian, this article may be of interest to those who have been following those hearings closely. After two rounds of discussions at a Superior Court in Hackensack, the three parties involved in two pending lawsuits surrounding the proposed Crossroads Town Center development on Route 17 will not settle out of court, NorthJersey.com reported Wednesday. According to the report, the Committee to Stop Mahwah Mall, a resident group that formed in 2011 to fight the proposed project, demanded during settlement talks this week that the two “big box stores” be removed …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Governor chides reporters for obsessing about 'silly,' 'shallow' subject, says he is not a role model
Gov. Chris Christie reluctantly fielded reporters’ questions Tuesday about his February Lap-Band surgery, but said he would not be providing the public with any news as he heads towards his weight-loss goal, which he pointedly refused to disclose. "This is it. You ask me any more questions about this, I’m not answering,” Christie said during a groundbreaking ceremony at a Newark vocational high school. "I’m not going to be giving you all updates as this goes along. ... I’m not giving people a day-by-day, week-by-week, blow by blow," he said, adding, "I don’t care to be a role model for anyone. This is an intensely personal issue." The governor told the New York Post Monday night he’d had Lap-Band surgery in February because of concerns …
Governor tells New York Post that Lap-Band procedure was done at the urging of his family. An NYU doctor made house calls to Christie's Mendham home to not draw attention to the surgery.
Gov. Chris Christie underwent stomach-shrinking Lap-Band surgery in February, he confirmed to the New York Post on Monday night while refuting speculation that he was slimming down for a White House run in 2016. Christie quietly had the Lap-Band — or laparoscopic adjustable gastric binding —procedure done in a New York hospital, telling the paper that he agreed to the surgery at the urging of his family after turning 50 in September. Sean Conner, a spokesperson for Christie, confirmed the story to Patch Tuesday. The governor insisted that the Lap-Band was not inserted to help him lose weight in the run-up to 2016. "I know it sounds crazy to say that running for president is minor, but in the grand scheme of things, it was looking at Mary …
Jeffrey DelVecchio
3:48 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
The strip mall next to the high school is residential? more ›